Novelty socks



Jan. 23, 1962 M w, CARDWELL ETAL 3,017,640

NOVELTY SOCKS Filed April 3, 1959 l rNvENToRs M/nfaefa Winn Cardwell Bertha Brown Powers F fg. 3

ATTORNEYS 3,017,640 NOVELTY SOCKS Mintaetta Winn Cardwell, 830 W. 9th, and Bertha Brown Powers, 1123 Powers Drive, both of Tyler, Tex. Filed Apr. 3, 1959, Ser. No. 803,999 Claims. (Cl. 2-239) This invention relates to new and useful improvements in novelty socks.

The invention is particularly directed to a novelty sock for use by young persons of both sexes, and even more particularly by young girls of school age, but is also adapted for use as a lounging sock by adults or persons of any age.

It has become a custom for persons in the leisure of their own homes to wear various types of slipper or lounging socks which may or may not include a soft sole, such as a sole of leather and which have a sock portion formed integrally or in one piece with the sole portion if such portion be present. It has also become the custom for young persons to attend informal dances and similar social occasions at which couples, or at least the girl partner, dance Wearing only moderately heavy socks, such social occasions having become known by the slang term sock hop. While the present invention was dered States Patent 0 veloped primarily with such social occasions in view, it' Y is quite apparent that the articles of the invention lend themselves readily to other informal or social occasions, and that various details of construction of the novelty socks disclosed by this invention are subject to considerable vari-ation.

It has, in the past, been known to fabricate novelty socks of this type employing various decorative features both on the instep and the side portions of the sock as well as the upper or ankle encircling portion thereof. In all instances, however, such decoration has been applied directly to the sock itself and forms a mere appliqu, generally on the instep or upper portion of the foot section of the sock.

In the present invention, various decorative motifs may be applied to a sock, such as fanciful faces and the like, with the result that the decorative portion stands relatively freely and in a somewhat upright position from the toe portion of the sock so as to produce an entirely different decorative effect from previously known socks. Such, is one object of the invention.

An additional object of the invention is to provide an improved novelty sock having a substantially normal foot receiving portion, and having on its instep a rearwardly and upwardly turned portion to which a decorative emblem or design may be affixed.

Yet another object of the invention is to provide an improved novelty sock having a structure such as to impart a completely different and novel ornamental effect to the sock, and to produce a sock presenting a completely different ornamental appearance from that of previously known socks,

A construction designed to carry out the invention will be hereinafter described, together with other features of the invention.

The invention will be more readily understood from a reading of the following specification and by reference to the accompanying drawing, wherein an example of the invention is shown, and wherein:

FIG. l is a view in perspective showing a sock con- -structed in accordance with this invention and applied to a persons foot,

FIG. 2 is a vertical, side elevational view, partially Vsectioned and having the toe portion thereof expanded `to illustrate the structure of the sock, and

FIG. 3 is a vertical, side elevational View, partially broken away to illustrate the structure, and showing the sock applied to a persons foot.

In the drawing, the numeral 10 designates a sock of the anklet type having a heel portion 11 and an ankle encircling portion 12 with or without a rolled down cuff on upper portion 13. The lower portion of the sock includes -a sole portion 14 and the rearward portion of the conventional instep 15, but the toe of the sock is split or divided horizontally and transversely to separate the forward portion 16 of the instep from the forward part of the sole 14. The extent to which the toe portion of the sock is split or otherwise divided rearwardly toward the heel 11 may vary to some extent, the line of division extending approximately medially along the side portions or edge portions of the sock and being of such length as to provide the rearwardly and upwardly extending portion 16 of such length as to accommodate the size of ornamental design or emblem which is to be applied. It has been found preferable, however, to extend the line of division rearwardly and extent sufficient as to bring the rearward end of the flap portion 16 approximately to the rearward part of the instep of the sock so that the ornamental design, to be described hereinafter, overlies substantially the entire instep portion of a persons foot without at the same time materially interfering with normal movements of the foot.

The lower part of the toe portion of the sock foot 14 is turned rearwardly to form an attachment flange 17, and the entire edge or marginal portion of the slit or divided part of the sock is similarly turned inwardly to continue the flange 17 yaround the entire opening formed when the flap 16 is folded rearwardly and upwardly, the decorative design or device 18 having its marginal edges sewn or otherwise suitably attached to this marginal flange 17. As shown in FIG. l, the decorative device or flexible member 18 may take any suitable 0r desirable form such as the representation of the face of a football player, as shown in the drawings, or any other suitable or desirable design. Preferably, the devices 17 are formed of various colors of material attached or super imposed one upon another to form the desired design or configuration with appropriate coloring. It has been found suitable to utilize colored felt for this purpose since felt displays little tendency for fraying upon cut edges and is readily available in a very large number of solid colors. Obviously, however, other materials may be employed, and the fabrication of the emblem or design devices 18 is not to be limited to any particular type of material, mode of attaohment, or type of design or coloring, Again, however, felt is desirable because of its moderate degree of stiffness, `and the utilization of several superimposed layers of felt adds to such stiffness so that the ornamental device 18 will inherently tend to lie in a slightly curved plane extending rearwardly and upwardly over the instep of the person Wearing the novel-ty sock.

It is to be noted that the rearward and upward portion of the ornamental device 18 as well as the flap 15 of the instep portion of the sock together form a free upstanding and rearwardly projecting portion, the movement of which is not strictly limited to the movement of the foot of the person Wearing the sock, and a quite unique and original ornamental appearance and effect is thus obtained.

In wearing the sock, the foot is slipped into position between the sole portion and the forward part of the flexible member 18, as shown in FIG. 3, whereby the sock functions in all respects as a conventional sock. At the same time the flexible member 18 is automatically positioned to extend upwardly and rearwardly over the instep of the wearer to form the free, upstanding decorative device.

The foregoing description of the invention is explanatory thereof and various changes in the size, shape and materials, as well as in the details of the illustrated construction may be made, within the scope of the appended claims, without departing from the spirit of the invention.

What we claim and desire to secure by Letters Patent is:

l. A novelty sock including, a sock foot having a sole portion terminating in a toe and an instep portion, an ankle portion adjoining the sock foot, the sock foot being divided transversely of the toe to separate the sole portion and the instep portion, the forward part of the instep portion extending rearwardly over and above the rearward part of the instep portion and toward the ankle portion, and an ornamental flexible member extending from the toe rearwardly over the rearwardly-extending part of the instep portion and being adjoined to the toe and rearwardly-extending part of the instep portion.

2. A novelty sock including, a sock foot having a sole portion terminating in a toe section and an instep portion, an `ankle portion adjoining the sock foot, the sock foot being divided transversely of the toe section to separate the sole portion from the instep portion, the forward part of the instep portion extending rearwardly toward the ankle portion, and an ornamental exible member of greater stiffness than the sock foot and ankle portion secured to the toe section and the rearwardly-extending forward part of the instep portion.

3. A novelty sock as set forth in claim 1, wherein the margins of the toe section and the rearwardly-extending part of the instep portion are folded inwardly and upwardly toward the exible member, the margins of the flexible member are folded inwardly and downwardly toward Ithe toe section and the rearwardly-extending part of the instep portion, and the margins of the flexible member are attached to the margins of the toe section and the rearwardly-extending part of the instep portion to fasten the exible member to the sock.

4. A novelty sock including, a foot portion having a sole terminating in a toe section and at least partially ovenlain by an instep portion, an ankle portion adjoining the foot portion and extending upwardly therefrom, and an ornamental flexible member extending rearwardly and upwardly from the toe section toward the ankle portion, the forward part of the flexible member overlying and being secured to the toe section, the rearward part of the flexible member overlying the part of the instep portion adjoining the ankle portion and being free of attachment thereto, the forward part of the instep portion which would normally adjoin the toe section extending rearwardly and upwardly toward the ankle portion beneath the rearward part of the flexible member, the forward part of the instep portion being free of attachment to the ankle portion or the rearward part of the instep portion adjoining the ankle portion.

5. A novelty `sock as set forth in claim 4 wherein the forward part of the instep portion and the flexible member have edge portions, and said edge portions are attached.

References Cited in the tile of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 2,598,218 Brumby May 27, 1952 2,705,326 Lahnstein et al. Apr. 5, 1955 FOREIGN PATENTS 6,121 Australia Feb. 24, 1927 

